This invention relates to fiber cutters of the type which cut continuous filament textile fiber into short lengths known as staple. Two exemplary United States Patents which relate to the field of this invention are Keith U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,120 and Van Doorn et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,481.
The development of apparatus of the types shown and described in the Keith and Van Doorn et al patents has included development of components intended to guide fiber into proper position and to protect the more highly machined and valuable components of the apparatus from damage which may otherwise result from the operational characteristics of the devices. More particularly, the cutter apparatus of the type described has a pair of annular reel members spaced axially one from the other to define a fiber wrapping zone therebetween and a number of radially directed cutting blades mounted axially of the annular members in a circumferential series around the reel thus formed. Components known as "covers" engage the reel members to guide filament into position for cutting. One operational problem which arises with cutter reels of this type occurs when fiber is not cut, for whatever reason including dullness of the blades, and instead accumulates around the periphery of the reel as the reel is driven in rotation about its central axis.
In an effort to solve the problem mentioned above, prior reel assemblies, including that of the Van Doorn et al patent mentioned above, sometimes are provided with press roll and cover components fabricated of materials intended to yield under the forces which arise with fiber accumulation and fail so as to protect the more expensive machined reel members and assembly. The covers referred to above take the form of annular members which are secured to the reel adjacent the fiber wrap zone, typically by a series of radial and axial bolts as shown in the Van Doorn et al patent.
Because many users of staple cutting apparatus of the types described cut staple of various lengths for various customer uses, many apparatus are used with sets of reels each configured to cut staple of a predetermined length or range of lengths. The reels are configured by selecting a spacing from blade to blade in the circumferential series, with such spacing determining the staple length or lengths cut by the reel. Such spacing also determines the acceptable or possible spacing of the radial and axial bolts for securing the cover components in place, as such bolts must be positioned to avoid unacceptable weakening of the reel assembly. As will be understood, the cover components for each reel in a set are unique, within the set, to the companion reel and are not interchangable to other reels of the set. Thus the user of such a set of reels is faced with the necessity of maintaining a large inventory of covers and of properly identifying covers to reels when replacement is needed. Additionally, the replacement of a cover may often involve the removal and reinsertion of a large number of bolts.